LA-7833-MS

Informal Report

C.3

ClC-l4 REPORT COLLECTION

REPRODUCTION COPY

Fireball Shape as a Height-of-Burst Diagnostic

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LOSALAMOSSCIENTIFIC LABORATORY PostOfficeBox 1663 Los Alamos,New Mexico 87545

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UNITED STATICS

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CONTRACT W-740 B-ZNG. 36

LA-7833-MS InformalReport

Swcial Distribution Issued: June 1979

Fireball Shape as a Height-of-Burst Diagnostic

Eric M. Jones Jeffrey D. Colvin*

— ,

GEG&G, Inc., P.O. Box 809, Los Alamos, NM 87544.

i

FIREBALL SHAPE AS A HEIGHT-OF-BURST DIAGNOSTIC

by

Eric M. Jones and Jeffrey D. Colvin

ABSTRACT

The shock wave produced by an atmospheric nuclear fireball reflects from the ground and strikes the bottom of the glowing fireball at the time when the sum of the fireball radius and the shock radius equals twice the burst height. RADFLO calculations have been used to define the function R(fireball) + R(shock) = f(Y,t). Fireball shape information is used to determine the time when shock/fireball interaction occurs and to derive the height-of-burst.

I. INTRODUCTION

The evolution of an atmospheric nuclear fireball is governed by the weapon

mass, yield and configuration, the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere,

and the height-of-burst. In many military applications heights-of-burst are low

enough that interaction between the glowing fireball and the shock wave

reflected from the ground surface occurs long before buoyancy forces become

important. In many of these applications, the desired effect is a sensitive

function of burst height. Real-time height-of-burst data may be of potential

value, particularly if the data can be determined from a single observing

station.

Let us suppose that an atmospheric nuclear burst of unspecified y-

occurs at an unknown range from a properly instrumented observing station.

parameters to be determined are yield, range, azimuth, and height-of-burst.

propose that all four parameters can be determined with two primary instrum[

eld

The

We

nts

and a small computer or processor. The two instruments are a bhangmeter and a

fast read-out, “real-time” imaging array. The bhangmeter is used to determine

minimum time and, hence, the yield while real-time fireball shape information

provides the three remaining parameters.

II. METHOD

We presume that bursts of interest will be low-mass airbursts. The

assumption of low mass assures that we will be dealing with weapons with high

radiating temperatures and that the early fireball growth will be virtually

spherical. U.S. atmospheric tests of weapons in massive towers or suspended

from balloons show considerable asymmetries and brightness irregularities even

at very late times. Air drops of low mass-to-yield ratios all produce very

spherical fireballs.

The yield is determined from time-of-minimum measured with a bhangmeter.

During the blast wave phase of expansion the radius is closely

approximated by

R= 301 (Y/P)l/5 t*/5, (1)

where R is the radius in meters; Y the yield in kilotons; p the ambient

atmospheric density in milligrams per cubic centimeter; and t the time in

seconds. Because the

acceptable to assume a

as yet to be determined

Imaging data can

radius is so insensitive to density it will probably be

value for the density. An iterative scheme based on the

burst height could be adopted if deemed necessary.

be used to derive the time histories of the vertical and

horizontal angular diameters. Knowledge of the yield and the horizontal angular

diameter leads directly to the range and, from the position of the image on the

detector, azimuthal data is obtained.

.

i

The final piece of data, the height-of-burst, can be obtained from

comparison of the two angular diameters.

The fireball expansion will be tspherical until the reflected shock wave

strikes the glowing fireball. Shortly after shock/fireball interaction the

bottom surface of the fireball is severely flattened. Before the interaction,

the ratio of the vertical diameter to the horizontal diameter is approximately

equal one but as the interaction proceeds the ratio drops sharply. Analysis of

the time history of the diameter ratio provides a time-of-interaction which can

then be used to derive the height-of-burst.

I

III. HEIGHT-OF-BURST SCALING DATA

The LASL one-dimensional, spherical, radiation transport/hydrodynamics

program RADFLO has been very successful in calculating atmospheric nuclear

fireball evolution. Fireball and shock radii produced by the program are in

good agreement with data.

We assume with some confidence that the shock/fireball interaction occurs I

when

‘SH = 2H-RFB (2)

where RSH is the shock radius, RFB is the fireball radius and H is the burst

height (Figure 1). We recognize that the reflected shock traverses slightly

heated air before striking the fireball and that the interaction actually occurs

slightly before the time given by equation (2). However, we expect that the

effect is small compared to likely yield uncertainties.

A series of RADFLO calculations have been made for bursts of various

yields at sea-level density (1.2x10-3 gcm-3). The fireball radius was chosen as

the 0.2 eV temperature contour while the shock radius was chosen as the location

of maximum density in the computed shock profile. Positional uncertainties are

about one cell width or about one percent of the radius. These data were used

to compute time histories of RSH + RFB. The results are presented in figure 2.

I

3

I

UNCLASSIFIED

Fig. 1

Determination of the time of fireball/shock interaction permits derivation of burst height.

1(?

BLAST WAVE

~ REGIME

fa

102

,:2 ,~-1 d

TIME (see)

Fig. 2

The fireball radius (RFB) and shock radius (RsH) are calculated with RADFLO. Knowing the yield and time of fireball/shock interaction gives

2H = RFB+RSH from the graph. See the text for a further discussion of this figure.

UNCLASSIFIED

.

&

The curves in figure 2 are labeled with the parameter 301 (Y/P)l/5. The

curves, in ascending order, correspond to sea-level bursts with yields of 1,

3.5, 12, 32, 75, 200, 800, and 1600 kilotons.

The plane of figure 2 is divided into three phenomenological regions.

During the early fireball expansion the air immediately behind the shock has

been heated to greater than 0.2 eV and the shock and fireball radii are

identical. During this blast wave phase both radii are closely approximated by

I

equation 1. At a time given by the leftmost dashed line, the weakened

no longer capable of heating air above 0.2 eV and the shock “detaches”

fireball.

shock is I

from the

At very late time, fireballs which have not yet undergone shock inter-

action are deformed by buoyancy forces. The vertical deformation is

approximately given by

AR = gtz (3)

where g = 9.8 m S-2 is the gravitational acceleration. During the late fireball

evolution the fireball radius reaches a maximum and slowly declines thereafter

while the shock wave velocity approaches the sound speed. (The upward curvature

of the RFB + RSH lines is a result of this behavior.) The maximum fireball

radius is designated as RM. If the buoyant deformation exceeds a few percent,

the height-of-burst analysis suddenly becomes more complex. This buoyancy

regime has been delineated by the AR = 0.02 RM line at the right of figure 2.

The graph

determined from

diameters. The

the burst height

Iv. TEST DATA

is used as follows: the time of shock/fireball interaction is

the history of the ratio of the vertical to horizontal

known yield is then used to interpolate between the curves and

is read as half the sum of the two radii.

We have analysed photographic

tests conducted in Nevada for which

data for seven U.S. atmospheric

unclassified yields are available

nuclear

and one

Pacific test. All were low mass air drops. The relevant data for the seven

events with the unclassified yields are given in Table I. All had p= 1.OX1O-3

5 I

gcm-3. The histories of the ratio of the vertical and horizontal diameters are

given in figures 3 through 9. For the purpose of this paper we have m&rely

estimated the interaction time as the time of a significant, sustained drop of

the diameter ratio. The range of the estimated interaction time (ti) for each

event is given in Table 1,

The derived burst heights (HD) are plotted against the actual heights in

figure 10. Clearly, the errors are less than 50 meters in all cases. The

relative errors are given in Table I for the seven unclassified events. Al 1

eight events have errors less than 20 percent.

TABLE I

THE SEVEN NTS AIR DROP EVENTS EXAMINED IN THIS STUDY

NAME

GRABLE

FIZEAU

CLIMAX

TS-DOG

BJ-EASY

BJ-CHARLIE

WASP-PRIME

T&-

15

11.4

62.8

19

31

14

3“

7%

160

152

407

317

401

345

222

65

68

102

119

128

143

157

t“

its

.075-.1

.08-.1

.3-.45

.4-.5

.3-.5

.45-.5

.4-.5

518

490

689

543

599

511

375

180

180

415

350

368

328

224

HD-H

T

.13

.18

.02

.10

-.08

-.05

-.01

v. REFINEMENTS

This simplistic discussion of shock/fireball interactions has led to

fairly accurate burst height estimation for eight nuclear tests. Some fine

tuning of the model may improve the results and/or indicate presently

unidentified limitations.

1) For bursts which suffer ground interaction before minimum time, ~lN is

a function of burst height. Calculational work has been done to define the

variation with height for a series of bursts with the IVY-KING yield (540 kt).

These results are plotted in Figure 11. The analysis routines for determining

burst height should include an iterative scheme to account for modified yield

estimates at low burst heights.

2) Numerical tests of existing photographic data must be made to determine

the effects of finite resolution elements and threshold sensitivities on the

results. We imagine that there is a tradeoff between fine resolution and

accurate diameter ratio measurements on the one hand and reduced integration

times with coarse grids on the other. We intend to perform computer simulations

of selected data frames to quantify these effects, and to determine the

limitations imposed by the frame time resolution of typical imaging devices (RJ

1/30 s).

3) Similarly, atmospheric attenuation and decreasing intensities with

increasing range may introduce errors. Fireballs which suffer interaction after

a few times second-maximum do not have particularly well defined edges. Unless

properly treated, range and height-of-burst errors may be introduced which are,

themselves, functions of range.

4) The speed of deformation during the early stages of the interaction is

a function of yield and height-of-burst. Analysis of this motion may provide an

independent burst height indicator although we anticipate that it will not be

particularly sensitive. Definition of scaling laws will require analysis of

two-dimensional calculations.

Figure 12 represents the analysis flow in a hypothetical system including

an iterative consideration of the effects of height-of-burst on ~lN. We are

currently implementing such an analysis scheme to test the validity of this

height-of-burst determination technique.

7

141 1 I I 1 8 1 I I 1 I 1 1 I I I I 1 I I I I.3

1.2

11

uPSHOT-KNOTHOLE /GRABLE Record 1798 I (Original)

1.1

1.0 0.9 : 0.8 ~

G

A 0.7 . ,, G

G * G *9 0.6 G

•b.~ 0.5 t t 0.4 , t 18/2

2m0a 0.3 tB/5

0.2

0.1 t 0.0 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 00 0.2 0.4 Ofi 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.o

TIME (StlC)

Fig. 3

Ratio of the vertical to the horizontal diameter as a function of time for GRABLE. GRABLE was a 15 kt explosion 160 m above the ground surface at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). t2~X is the calculated time of second thermal maximum while tB, the buoyancy time, is

given by R(t2AX) = g t?. R Examination of the GRABLE photographs s ows initial interaction at about 0.07 s although no substantial deformation occurs until about 0.1 s.

‘:v~q 1

1.0 “*:. . 0.9 :

0.8 :

A 0.7 t tR 0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2 I

. . .

G

G G .“. “ . G G

9 G

?

tfj/2

0.1

0.0 1 I I I I I 1 1 1 1 t I 1 1 1 1 1 I I 1 0.0 0.2 04 06 O.% I.0 1.2 1.4 16 1.8 20

TIME (see)

Fig. 4

FIZEAU was a 11.4 kt explosion at 152 meters. tR is the time of initial interaction determined from visual inspection of the photographic records.

8

1.4 I I 1 I 1 1 I I I I I I I I I I f I I

1.3 J 1.2

t

UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE/CLIMAX 1.1 Record 171081 (Originol)

1.0 &*. ~ 0.91 , “.. -1

0.8

I

t’= . A 0.7

G G .“ . .“

0.6 . .* .*

0.5 .**. .

G

04 1

0.3

0.2

[

f t~/5

o. I

t tB/2

0.01 I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1

0.0 04 0s I

1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4 2B 3.2 3.6 40 TIME [see)

Fig. 5

CLIMAXwas a 63 kt explosion at 407 m burst height.

14 I I I I I t 1 I 1 I r I r I I I I I I

1.3 -1

A

I.2 -

1.1-

1.0-

0.9 -

0.8 -

0.7 -

0.6 -

0.5 -

04 -

0.3 t 0.2 t

TUMBLER-SNAPPER /OOG

Record 13382 (Print) . .

.

G

.

I

. . .

O.c.. J 1 1 1 I

2.4 2B J

3.2 3.6 4.0 TIME (WC)

Fig. 6

TS-DOG was 19 kt explosion at 317 m burst height.

9

1.31 1

1.2

1

EUSTER-JANGLE /EASY

I.1 Record 10942 (Print) 1

I.0 -“9.

G

0.9 - G8

G

0.8 - .

G ***-’ ‘

G

A 0.7 - G*

GG*.m .*

Q6 -

G .

G - G .** 0.3 - G

0.4 -

0.3 -

0.2 -

0.1 -

0.0 I 1 a I 1 1 1 I t 1 I I I 1 1 I 1 1 1

0.0 (14 OB 1.2 1.6 20 2.4 2.8 3.2 36 4.0

TIME (MC)

Fig. 7

BJ-EASY was a 31 kt explosion at 401 m. “~ ‘

1 I I I I I

1.3

1.2

1.1

1

1.0 G“” . .** 0.9 “ ‘

G

A o.8 G*

BUSTER- JANGLE/CHARLIE

Record 10742 (OrlgimIl)

1

0.7

I

G G ** G

0.6 t ‘**** ”*=””--” G G G

0.5 tR 0.4 ! tB/5 ? 0.3 t812 1 0.2 F 1

0.1

I 1 1 1 I 1 0.0 1 1 f 1 1 1 I I 1 1 1 I 1 1 0.0 0.4 OB I.2 1.6 20 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 40

TIME (see)

Fig. 8

BJ-CHARLIE was a 14 kt explosion at 345 meters burst height.

,

4

10

1.4“ I 1 I I I I 1 I I I i 1 I I 1 1 I I 1

1.3 -

1.2 - TEAPOT/ WASP-PRIME

1.I - Record 29339 (Print)

1.0 - .“”

0.9 - G***

G

0.8 - G . G 9 . 9 . . A 0.7 -

G . G **. G* . . .

G G=** 06 - 9.

0.5 -

0.4 -

0.3 -

0.2-

0.1-

0.0 1 t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I I 1 1 1 I I I 1 t

o 0.4 0.8 I .2 1.6 2.0 “2.4 2B 3.2 36 40

TIME (StiC)

Fig. 9

WASP PRIME was a 3 kt explosion at 222 m burst height.

DERIVEO HEIGHT

900. I I I I

800 -

700 -

600 -

500 -

400 -

1 300 -

200 -=

100 -

0 0 100200300400500600700 60090JJ

BURST HEIGHT

Fig. 10

For each of the seven Nevada test studied and one Pacific Test (DOMINIC AZTEC) the derived heights agree well with the actual heights. The range for each test indicated the height uncertainty produced by the uncertainty in the time of interaction.

11

,.

[

ed 12 A3900-woo A Bdll k1600-5600~ 9d 10 A5600- 6800 ~

Bd9 A8800-a240a

9d 8 A8240-Ioooo~

Bd 12

II

10

9

8

0 I00 200 m 400 500 Burst Height (m]

Fig. 11

Time of thermal minimum (tMIN) in Vi3riOUS

wavelength bands calculated for 540 kiloton explosions at various altitudes.

12

?

DIAMETER RATlO

4

I_

YIELD

- DIAMETER

d-

RANGE

A simplified

~

Fig. 12

block diagram of an analysis routine to determine burst height. The top three boxes contain data input into the analysis routine. Minimum time provides an initial yield estimate which may require modification due to burst height effects.